COLUMBUS, Ohio - The state bar association says Ohio Supreme Court Justice Robert Cupp must go beyond distancing himself from an ad accusing his opponent of sympathizing with rapists and publicly demand the Ohio Republican Party take it off the air.

In a strongly worded letter sent Friday, Ohio State Bar Association Chairwoman Maxine Thomas told Cupp the ad violates his clean-campaign pledge and harms the integrity of the judicial system.

The association's Advertising Monitoring Committee made the determination at a meeting called Thursday to review the ad. The spot, paid for by the state GOP, states that Bill O'Neill, a Democrat seeking to unseat Cupp, "expressed sympathy for rapists" as an appellate judge.

Cupp released a statement calling the ad inappropriate on Thursday -- the day it was unveiled at Republican headquarters.

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.